Arepa

http://www.arepacafe.ca/

Living in the Bathurst/Queen area, we are walking around the block quite a lot. A byproduct of these promenades is a mental map of local food places we definitely need to visit. Every now and then, the list of candidates gets too long so we are urged to drop an item off it.
One of these places was Arepa – a Venezuelan eatery specializing in, getting it straight from the name, arepas. When Ma Cherie’s grandpa decided to visit us in downtown, we thought it would be a great place to take him to.


APPEARANCE
from a foreign land, the transparent bottle does not reveal any detail and the label is intriguing and somewhat confusing (we'll see)
We walked by numerous times. First guess was Crepo… Ma Cherie loved the typeface, but we were pretty certain it was a breakfast place serving crepes. A downside of an interesting sign is in its obscurity - interesting although a bit confusing, especially when arepas are not that popular downtown. Other than that, bright windows with a lot of light inside were very welcoming on the chilly evening.

NOSE
a quick pour into the glass forms some foam blocking the view, still obscure and difficult to make out the details; smells like a true thirst cruncher though
We entered to some lounge music and a friendly, young waiter who was eager to educate us about arepas – a traditional Venezuelan corn bread used for sandwiches. Learning something new made me excited about the place. One wall was lined with flour packs and some words in decorative typefaces, looking very authentic. Ma Cheri was very happy to see restaurants experiment with type. The bathroom sign was made of bright and happy squares, with white "banos" letters on top. We also really liked the brick walls, tall ceiling and candle-like lights.

SWIRL
bubbles are rising from the glass’s bottom, a slight bitterness smell is coming through
After the presentation about arepas, we dived into the menu. A nicely laid out piece of laminated paper was a but busy but easy to read. We both made excellent choices, at least we were assured of that by our waiter. Pabellon Veggie Arepa for Ma Cherie and La Pelua Arepa for myself paired with two local beers sounded great to us as well. We both went with Mill Street beers – a tankhouse ale and an organic. There were quite a few menu choices available, and almost all of them sounded equally intriguing.

PALATE
malty with a hint of wheat, bitter foam
The sandwiches and beer came within 10 minutes, an excellent turnaround! We did not quite know what to expect  but were pleasantly surprised. Ma Cherie’s Pabellon Veggie was very stuffed with beans, avocado, plantain, topped with mozzarella - quite the challenge to eat. My La Pelua was on a drier side at the beginning, but near the end it was soaked in juicy sauces (to make up for it). On the side of mine was a green pepper and garlic mayo sauce, and like all dishes it came with a radish-coleslaw mix.
Our waiter left us three bottled sauces, about one of which we were warned about as being very hot. The beers we ordered were only half pints so they were gone in no time. Eating was more fun after downing both glasses anyway so no regrets there. The arepas were remarkably filling despite being the size of an English muffin at most.

FINISH
filling and creamy while appearing lighter and less engaging from a first sight
A great place for a quick dinner or a lunch! Not much of a romantic night, but there is some soul to it. We liked it very much, definitely in the spirit of this neighborhood – original, welcoming and a bit rebellious.

Overall, an unfiltered Ale beer. 

Gilead Cafe

http://www.jamiekennedy.ca

A friend from work pointed this place out, once he treated me a large home-made marshmallow from a jar. (an interesting combo or sweet and salty, lovely texture)
He also found their backyard BBQ one day, to which we went, a few weeks back. We dressed our own burgers and had some great fries with their homemade sauces.
This day, my sister was taking me out for my birthday lunch.

APPEARANCE
dark, unnoticeable but intriguing ruby hues
On Gilead - a tiny street off of King East, not eery but rather clean and residential. Passing by, you can see in a few people's back yards. If you don't know where you are going, you won't find it. Its a truly hidden gem. It is a small, brick building with a not-too-impressive wordmark of a jar. (they could have made it more of a graphic)

SWIRL
plum, beat, hint of strawberry
menus? waiter?
The drill turned out to be - look around all the walls, pick, order, sit down. We realized that after a few minutes of sitting on a table and looking around.
It took me some time to make a decision, because there was so much I want to try. Tempting cheese platter, BLT, egg dishes.. After asking the man at the counter for his recommendations, we decided to share the Nicoise Style Salad with Hot Smoked Whitefish, as well as their Pulled Poutine. My sis asked for their sweetest white wine, which she was told is their Pondview Estate Riesling, so she took a glass, while I tried their Kozelman Pinot Blanc. While we paid, I asked if the menu is seasonal, and hence they have the neat chalk boards. He confirmed they are. I asked how often Jamie Kennedy comes in, or does he just create the recipes then has a sous-chef making them daily. He said, he is in the kitchen right now and told me to take a peak. Unfortunately I had not done my thorough research to remember exactly what he looks like, but I like to assume I made eye contact with him. 

NOSE

some light truffle and meat aroma
We took our wines and sat down, in the table area with a delightful wall of window walls on one side and their main wall with adorable, colorful jars on the other. Light, birch tables everywhere. We made our own addition with my flower bouquet.
Our wine glasses were custom Jamie Kennedy ones - simple, elegant, smart location for pouring measure purposes. My sister's Riesling was nowhere as close as she expected. My pinot blanc was floral with a light aftertaste.

PALATE
fruity, soft, delicate
Our meal didn't take long. The waiter left it for us with cutlery, request for pepper and a brief explanation. To my surprise the plates were small, the salad looked a bit crammed and tight. It was delicious, with mayo-mustard cream sauce, bard-boiled eggs, red onion slices, hint of anchovies, and much more. The pulled pork poutine came with aged cheddar and their fries had the usual rosemary salt coating.  Very saucy, a bit spicy, and topped with green onion. We enjoyed our plates for some time. I don't remember any music playing, but there was some chatter as the place was lively.

FINISH
light all-spice, beautiful aftertaste
There are so many dishes worth coming back for, apart from actually recognizing Jamie Kennedy next time.

 overall... a one-of-a-kind Pinot Noir